DesktopLinux
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  Blogs  |  Videos  |  Resource Library

Keywords: Match:
Shuttleworth clarifies Ubuntu's stance on proprietary drivers
Feb. 16, 2007

Analysis -- Ubuntu's Technical Board has decided not to activate proprietary video drivers by default in the upcoming Ubuntu 7.04 ("Feisty Fawn") release. Some people have interpreted this to mean that Feisty won't include these drivers, or that Ubuntu was backing away from proprietary drivers.

Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder and backer, however, has now taken pains to tell the public that Ubuntu will continue to include and use proprietary software for "essential hardware."

In his blog, Shuttleworth explained that the Technical Board had re-affirmed Ubuntu's "policy of including proprietary drivers ... are required to enable essential hardware functionality."

And what does that mean? "We define 'essential hardware' as functionality which exists widely and for which there are free software applications that are broadly useful and which take advantage of that hardware. The canonical example has always been wifi drivers, some of which only come in proprietary blobs, but which of course enable huge parts of the free software stack to Just Work. We have always shipped those, and intend to continue to do so."

The reason why Ubuntu is not activating 3D graphics drivers is that while Shuttleworth and the rest of the Ubuntu development crew believe that "3D video functionality would be considered essential for Feisty," they also don't think it's ready for prime-time yet. While they "believe that 3D is an essential part of the modern desktop experience," they also think that the "status of the free software applications that depend on that hardware functionality... [was] not ready for inclusion by default in Feisty. Neither Compiz nor Beryl have the requisite stability and compatibility to be a default option in Feisty."

The Compiz and Beryl projects combine a window manager and a composite manager using OpenGL, to produce 3D and other graphical special effects such as translucency. They are usually used with existing Linux desktop environments, such as KDE and GNOME, to produce more attractive user desktops.

Shuttleworth went on to say that it was the immaturity of these projects that "blocked the decision to enable proprietary video drivers by default, not an aversion to their inclusion. For better or worse, we already crossed that line right at the beginning of the Ubuntu project, and reaffirmed that policy during this debate. It is highly likely that Feisty+1 will see the inclusion of Compiz or Beryl by default, looking at their maturity and ongoing community involvement, and that will catalyse the decision to enable this hardware functionality by default too, even if that means using these proprietary drivers."

Ubuntu has also recently partnered with Linspire to enable its users to buy, update, and install software from Linspire's newly opened CNR (Click N Run) software installation system. CNR includes easy access to essentially all proprietary software and drivers that work with Linux.

However, Shuttleworth continued, Ubuntu recognizes Ubuntu's obligation to open-source software and the free software movement.

Specifically, Ubuntu will be more forceful fighting software patents. "We will also shortly announce participation in another patent-related initiative aimed at preventing a hostile take-over of the free software space by those with entrenched software IP (intellectual property) positions."

Ubuntu will also actively support Nouveau, a group working on open-source NVIDIA graphic drivers), and other efforts to develop free software drivers that enable the requisite functionality. Shuttleworth continued, "Proprietary drivers are not the preferred solution and will be eliminated once the community delivers a free alternative."

As part of that effort, Ubuntu will also work closely with hardware vendors "to continue to make the strong case in favour of free drivers."

"In addition to all of this," Shuttleworth said, "We have restarted the effort to produce a flavour of Ubuntu that includes no proprietary drivers or firmware at all. In fact, this flavour will take an ultra-conservative approach to all forms of content on the .iso, whether that be artistic or code. More on that initiative later."

There is already one Ubuntu-based distribution -- gNewSense 1.1 -- that has taken this approach. The Free Software Foundation is supporting this totally free software distribution.

As for Ubuntu proper, Shuttleworth noted that "this is not the resounding rejection of the drivers that [some users] were looking for, but I hope that the discussion has proven open, comprehensive and ultimately reasonable."


-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols



Do you have comments on this story?


Talkback here

NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!



Related Stories:


(Click here for further information)


Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

 



Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Resource Library


Popular recent stories:
• Linux an equal Flash player
• Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits
• gOS 3.0 goes gold
• Browser swallows OS
• Lenovo denies ditching Linux
• Lightweight, Linux-compatible browser evolves
• GNOME 2.24 gains "Empathy" IM
• Review: Pardus Linux
• Ubuntu to fund Linux development
• Ubuntu "Intrepid Ibex" available

All-time Classics:
• Choosing a desktop Linux distro
• Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes
• Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu
• A simple Linux backup method
• The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better
• Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives
• The well-tempered Debian desktop
• Lenovo launches a netbook
• What's the best Linux for beginners?
• Getting to know Puppy Linux
• Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users
• VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of

Linux-Watch headlines:
• Amid controversy, Microsoft launches open source foundation
• As open source surges, Microsoft admits Linux threat
• Open source lobbying group emerges
• Open source Linux device drivers submitted by -- Microsoft?
• Google names Chrome OS partners
• Google's new OS marries Linux and Chrome
• Debian plans draw sharp warning from GNU guru
• OpenSource World announces keynote speakers
• Linux 2.6.30 gets new filesystems
• Intel to buy Wind River for $884 million


Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums:
•  Moving to Linux
•  Linux/Windows debate!
•  Linux Q&A
. . . and more
Visit the...


BREAKING NEWS

• Knoppix Live CD distro rev'd
• Debian Linux-based Google Chrome OS debuts, goes open source
• Mint 8 achieves RC1, and Fedora 12 goes final
• Dell PCs cram multimedia power into tiny package
• OpenSUSE 11.2 and Novell's Mono Tools ship
• ABI's Jeffrey Orr on rising Linux netbook sales
• Moblin v2.1 goes beta, adds 3G support
• Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study
• Skype working on open source VoIP UI
• Ubuntu 9.10 final ships as IBM spins Ubuntu-based cloud distro
• CentOS rev's to version 5.4, tries on KVM
• Fedora 12 optimized for Atom-powered netbooks
• Puppy Linux 4.3 gains bugfix, rave reviews
• Hulu comes to Linux
• Reviews praise Ubuntu 9.10, knock Ubuntu Moblin Remix



Linux Netbooks


Linux smartphones!


news feed

Or, follow us on Twitter...


Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2009 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.